Free Recovery by Troy Denning

asked, “Does anyone have proof of that?”
    â€œJacen sent a report to New Republic Intelligence,” Leia said. “But it outlined a circumstantial case. There isn’t anything solid.”
    Tesar sissed, then said, “There will be soon.”
    As Leia puzzled over the Barabel’s remark, the CorDuro freighter slowed and entered an unconcealed orbit in the dust ring. A few minutes later, the proximity alarm sounded. Han silenced it and frowned at his display, but Izal merely activated the
Falcon
’s data recorders.
    â€œI’m getting nothing but mass readings.” Han buckled his crash webbing. “That new ship’s Yuuzhan Vong!”
    Tesar sissed again, then looked back at Leia. “Not long now, this one thinkz.”
    He moved aside to give her a better view of the displays. Leia smiled her thanks and started to palm her hold-out blaster—this could still be a trap—then decided against it and left the weapon in her sleeve. The Barabels’ insistence on total comm silence had prevented her from confirming even a small part of their story with Luke, but the feelings they had shared in the crew quarters had contained no hint of deception.
    Han and Izal Waz quickly identified the Yuuzhan Vong vessel as a corvette-analog picket ship, then they all waited while the
Star Roamer
maneuvered into docking range.
    â€œThe Yuuzhan Vong want to know about bacta,” Tesar explained. “Before Master Eelysa was injured, she told Master Saba about this rendezvous.”
    â€œAnd Master Saba decided you need a set of your own bacta tanks,” Han finished.
    Tesar bared his fangs in a smile. “It seemed fair.”
    â€œWhat if something goes wrong?” The worry in Han’s voice was so foreign to the Han Solo that Leia remembered that she thought for a moment someone else was speaking. “Eelysa’s the one who will pay the price.”
    â€œAnd Leia, too, you’re thinking,” Izal Waz said.
    â€œThe thought had crossed my mind,” Han admitted.
    Tesar covered Han’s shoulder with a black-scaled claw. “Han Solo, you worry too much. What could go wrong?”
    Leia had to smile. “At least Jacen will feel better,” she said, trying to take Han’s mind off all the things that
could
go wrong. “His report was going nowhere without solid . . .”
    Leia let the sentence trail off, for her thoughts were whirling through her mind like hawk-bats above a thermal exhaust vent. Why would someone contract an assassin to kill her? Why bribe a CorSec guard to steal her datapad? Why send an entire combat flotilla to prevent her from returning home?
    â€œProof!” she gasped. “Someone thinks I have proof.”
    â€œProof?” Han turned in the pilot’s seat. “Of CorSec’s collaboration?”
    Leia nodded. “That’s what they’re afraid of.”
    â€œIt makes sense,” Han said. “Hard to be sure, though.”
    â€œWhat else have I been doing over the last year?” Leia asked. “And no one was trying to kill me
before
Jacen’s report—at least no one on our side.”
    â€œCorDuro’s not exactly on our side either, dear.”
    Han opened a tactical feed to the navicomputer display so Leia could watch events unfold from her seat behind the bulkhead. A minute or so after the corvette and freighter had merged into a single blip, Izal Waz opened a subspace channel and announced the coordinates of the rendezvous.
    â€œI thought we had to maintain comm silence,” Han said.
    â€œClose enough,” Tesar said.
    A few seconds later, a nervous voice came from the
Star Roamer
. “Who was that?” When no one answered, it said again, “Unidentified transmitter, respond and explain yourself.”
    They did not, of course. A minute later, the electronics began to hiss and spit as the freighter went to active sensors and probed in their direction.